Expressionist Figurative Acrylic Paintings by Heidi Keyes

About the Artist
In my past life as an artist, I was caught up in the excruciating details. I insisted on perfection; I obsessed over the unrealistic notion of how I was convinced things should be. I found that over time, this caused a loss of creativity. Art became hard. I have always loved blind contour drawing, and one day, in a fit of frustration, I began to draw wildly with a paintbrush, with an emphasis on technique rather than end result. I was pleased and surprised at the level of sophistication achieved through the use of simplistic lines and connected forms. The figures I created were uncertain, unsure, and often pensive, but my lines were confident and bold.

While I do still work realistically at times, I now prefer to experiment with exaggeration of form and the superfluity of line. I generally depict various stages and situations of the human figure in my work. These images are selected to express the incompleteness of humanity, a continuous search for truer answers. I look to the moment when one finds oneself on the precipice of a life-altering decision, reluctant to continue, but too far gone to turn back– the past and the future expressed in a single brushstroke of delicious uncertainty. I use washes to achieve this effect of impermanence, and allow them to drip freely down the canvas, embracing spontaneity in my work, as in my life.

I have always been captivated by adventure and experienced a certain degree of wanderlust, so after college I became a flight attendant for an international charter company. My profession has allowed me to experience different cities and cultures throughout the world, and as a result, I began painting landscapes as well as the human figure. I believe my sense of adventure and my free spirit is captivated in the paintings that I create. The way I look at painting is the way I view my life– nothing is ever certain, and often the best results come from mistakes.

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Like them very much! Very Zen way of working. Generations of Chinese artists have been trying to reach this level of skill, as you well know how technically difficult that is! May you reach your goals and beyond!